Gokujou Parodius

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Gokujou Parodius Logo.png
Gokujou Parodius
Gokujou Parodius Title Screen.png

Title screen

Developer: Konami
Music: Seiichi Fukami
Satoko Miyawaki
Kazuhiro Senoo
Program: Tokuda Tsukasa
Yasuyuki Moritome
Art: Shūjirō Hamakawa
Chiyoko Hanano
Taro Matsuishi
Rika Ishimaru
Natsumi Bouike
Release date: Arcade: April 1994
Super Famicom: November 25, 1994
PlayStation: December 3, 1994
Sega Saturn: May 19, 1995
PlayStation Portable: January 25, 2007
Previous game: Pop’n TwinBee
Next game: TwinBee Yahho!

Gokujō Parodius ~Kako no Eikō o Motomete~ (Japanese: 極上パロディウス ~過去の栄光を求めて~ "Gokujou Parodius – Pursuing the Past Glory") is a shmup developed and published by Konami in 1994. It is the third installment in the Parodius series succeeding Parodius Da! (Konami 1990). It is the second of the three arcade games from the series followed by Sexy Parodius (Konami 1996).

Gokujou Parodius received ports on the Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PlayStation Portable. It was localized overseas under the title Fantastic Journey.

For replay videos, visit the Video Index.

Gameplay Overview

Controls


The game offers three different control styles which can be selected at the start of the game: Auto Power-Up (uses one button), Semi-Auto Power-Up (uses two buttons), and Manual Power-Up (uses three buttons).

Auto Power-Up Semi-Auto Power-Up Manual Power-Up
A button Select Power-Up Select Power-Up
B button Primary weapon (shot/double/laser)
Secondary weapon (missile)
Bell power
Primary weapon (shot/double/laser)
Secondary weapon (missile)
Bell power
Primary weapon (shot/double/laser)
C button Secondary weapon (missile)
Bell power

When Auto Power-Up is selected, the ship will automatically power up when enough capsules are collected. Roulette Capsules will count as regular capsules.

Characters


Gokujou Parodius has 8 characters, 4 of them return from Parodius Da! while the others are completely new. Each character has a counterpart when using 2P side, but this is a purely cosmetic difference.

1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Vic Viper.png
Vic Viper
Goku Paro Lord British.png
Lord British
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Takosuke.png
Takosuke
Goku Paro Belial.png
Belial
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Twinbee.png
TwinBee
Goku Paro Winbee.png
WinBee
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Pentaro.png
Pentarou
Goku Paro Hanako.png
Hanako
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Hikaru.png
Hikaru
Goku Paro Akane.png
Akane
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Mambo.png
Mambo
Goku Paro Samba.png
Samba
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Michael.png
Michael
Goku Paro Gabriel.png
Gabriel
1P side 2P side
Goku Paro Koitsu.png
Koitsu
Goku Paro Aitsu.png
Aitsu

Power Meter


Gokujou Parodius Power Meter.png

Instead of words, the Power Meter system in Gokujou Parodius uses icons for each upgrade. When the player picks up a red capsule, the next box in the Power Meter sequence will be highlighted; when a red capsule is picked up at position 7, it will jump back to position 1.

Although the Power Meter has certain general properties (Speed Up, Missile, and Shield), all eight characters have an individual set of upgrades.

Gokujou Parodius Select.png

Items


An item will pop up either if the player destroys certain waves of enemies fully or when a red enemy is destroyed.

Goku Paro red capsule.png Red Capsule
Advances the Power Meter by 1.
Goku Paro red capsule.png Roulette Capsule
Starts roulette mode in the Power Meter. Visually indistinguishable from regular Red Capsules. Found in fixed locations.
Goku Paro blue capsule.png Blue Capsule
Clears the screen from all enemies (no points are awarded for these).
Goku Paro yellow bell.png Yellow Bell
Score item. Value increases with subsequent collection: 500 > 1000 > 2,500 > 5,000 > 10,000. Value resets when a Yellow Bell goes off screen or upon death.
Goku Paro blue bell.png Blue Bell
Adds a screen clearing bomb to the player's bell stock. Additional bombs can be picked up for a maximum of three.
Goku Paro white bell.png White Bell
When picked up, all regular weapons are disabled for a certain amount of time and a megaphone shouts out text that has great coverage and also cancels all bullets.
Goku Paro green bell.png Green Bell
When picked up, all regular weapons are disabled for a certain amount of time and the player sprite increases in size granting invincibility and extra speed.
Goku Paro red bell.png Red Bell
Adds 3 laser barriers to the player's bell stock. These barriers cover almost the whole screen vertically and destroy all enemies and bullets touching them.
Goku Paro purple bell.png Purple Bell
When picked up, all enemies are turned into regular items.

All regular items except Roulette Capsules appear in the following item cycle. Roulette Capsules are always found in the same enemies and have no effect on the cycle.

Item Cycle Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro red capsule.png Goku Paro blue capsule.png

The bell cycle starts at yellow. Hitting a Yellow Bell five times will make it advance to the next color. Every other color takes a single hit to make the bell cycle go to the next yellow again. This is not affected by missing bells or picking them up.

Bell Cycle Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro blue bell.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro white bell.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro green bell.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro red bell.png Goku Paro yellow bell.png Goku Paro purple bell.png

Extra Lives


On default settings, the player is awarded with two extra lives, one at 200,000 and the second at 500,000.

Loops


By default, Gokujou Parodius does not loop, but an option to enable a second loop and even infinite loops can be set in the dipswitches (or going to the options menu in the ports). The loop has no requirements when enabled, so the player will always enter 2-1 upon beating stage 1-7.

The player loses all Power Ups and starts in the default state again. If the Power Meter was highlighted at any position at the end of loop 1, it will be highlighted on the first position beginning with loop 2.

Strategy

WIP

Version Differences